Author: Author's Answer

Leora Krygier is a former Los Angeles Superior Court, Juvenile Division judge. She’s the author of When She Sleeps (Toby Press), which was lauded for its “luminous prose” (Newsweek) and praised by Booklist, Library Journal, and Kirkus. It was also a New York Public Library Selection for “Best Books for the Teen Age.” She’s also the author of Juvenile Court: A Judges Guide for Young Adults and their Parents (Rowan & Littlefield) and Keep Her (She Writes Press), a young adult novel reviewed as a “vibrantly dazzling literary cocktail on the restorative powers of love.” She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, David.

Before becoming a full-time writer, Jackie received her MBA from UC Berkeley and worked as a management consultant in the Bay Area alongside her husband, who worked in Silicon Valley and other parts of the world before starting and running his own tech company. Their careers, both exciting and exhausting, fuel Jackie’s novels and essays, as does her travel and exposure to foreign cultures. A native of Southern California married to a native of Italy who carries around a big hole in his heart for home, her themes revolve around displacement, crossing borders, belonging (or not belonging), loss, and love. You can find her living in New York City with her husband, sometimes. Riding High in April is her fourth novel.

Jeanne Baker Guy of Jeanne Guy Gatherings is an author, speaker, and journal-writing coach. Born and raised in Indiana, she received her bachelor’s degree in English literature and drama from Indiana University. After a twenty-five-year career in office management and business development, she found her calling in facilitating personal growth circles. Years of blogs, filled with her irreverent humor, serve as the basis for her classes and her 2015 book Seeing Me: A Guide for Reframing the Way You See Yourself Through Reflective Writing, co-authored with photographer David Rackley. Jeanne lives in Cedar Park, Texas, with her retired architect–husband Robert and their two spoiled feral cats.

Jane Elizabeth Hughes is a professor of international finance at Simmons College School of Business in Boston. Using the creative right side of her brain, Jane published her first novel, Nannyland, with Simon & Schuster Pocket Star Books in 2016 and is now publishing The Long-Lost Jules with She Writes Press.

Peri Chickering is a coach, consultant, herbalist, and leadership educator. Working for years in field of wilderness-based leadership, she went on to run her own leadership school in Colorado and then start new schools in South Africa and Bulgaria. Taking her leadership experience from the outdoors inside, Peri has worked with clients in private, governmental, and nonprofit sectors, including Disney Theatrical, USDA Forest Service, World Bank, Stanford Woods Institute, University of Chicago, and Renaissance Reinsurance. She holds a master’s degree in human development and a Ph.D. in human and organizational systems. Now situated in the small town of Hancock, New Hampshire, she, her husband, their cat, and two horses steward 55 acres of beautiful woodlands passed down from her grandmother.

Steve Prentice is a social worker, artist, photographer, and the author of Seventh Generation.

While working with youth and adults, he has seen firsthand the desire to hide from that which is painful. Seventh Generation addresses these concerns through the eyes of a young teenager in a way that is relatable for readers of all ages.

Alexandria Rizik is an award-winning filmmaker and the author of two books, the poetry collection Words Written in the Dark and the children’s book Chocolate Milk. She was born and raised in Scottsdale, Arizona, where she was brought up by a large Armenian family. She received her bachelor of arts in English literature from Arizona State University. Alexandria’s love for writing began when she was a young child: her aunt bought her a journal and told her to write her a story, and the rest is history. Her favorite part about writing is being able to write the happily ever after that doesn’t always happen in real life. Besides writing, Alexandria loves yoga, wine, and family time. She lives in Scottsdale, AZ.

Jennifer Katz was born and raised in South Florida along with a twin brother, a younger sister, and a toy poodle named Muffin. At age twenty-five, she earned her degree in clinical psychology and met Tristram Smith at a job interview. After she was hired, they became friends, and then more. Jenny and Tris married and moved to upstate New York with a son. Widowed at age forty-five, Jenny now lives with her teen daughter. She loves reading, yoga, musical theater, and broccoli. An award-winning professor, she teaches about gender, sexuality, and helping relationships. This is her first book, and she still lives in the New York area.

For most of her life, Pacific Northwest naturalist, photographer, and award-winning author Cheryl Grey Bostrom, MA, has lived in the rural and wild lands that infuse her writing. Her work has appeared in a variety of publications, including the American Scientific Affiliation’s God and Nature Magazine, for which she’s a regular photo essayist. A member of the Redbud Writers Guild, she has also authored two non-fiction books. This is her first novel. She currently resides near Lynden, WA.

Barbara Gregorich writes fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. She’s on First and the award-winning Women at Play: The Story of Women in baseball are her best-known books. The F Words is her first YA novel.